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Samson
Samson & Goliath (also known as Young Samson & Goliath) was a 30-minute Saturday morning cartoon series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for NBC in 1967. It was later shown in syndication with The Space Kidettes as The Space Kidettes and Young Samson. Synopsis The show followed the adventures of a teenager named Samson and his dog, Goliath as they rode around the country on a motorbike. Whenever trouble arose (usually in the form of a menacing super villain or evil scientist), Samson would transform himself into a superhero version of the biblical Samson by hitting his golden wristbands together. A second slam would transform Goliath into a super-powered lion. Samson had great strength, endurance, and agility, as well the ability to leap so well he appeared to be flying. He could also direct shock waves from his wristbands,and by twisting his bracelets, could increase his and Goliath's powers to far greater levels. Goliath, in addition to having similar strength and leaping powers, had "power beam" rays that emanated from his eyes, apparently making him more powerful than Samson. The pair's reverse transformation was never depicted. Similar shows Samson & Goliath was similar in format to other Hanna-Barbera adventure shows such as Space Ghost, Mighty Mightor, and Shazzan in its pacing, plots, voices, music and art direction. Many of these characters were developed for CBS by comics artist Alex Toth, but Samson was on NBC. Tim Matheson, who had earlier been the voice of Jonny Quest, provided the voice of Samson. Goliath's vocal effects are done by Don Messick. This show is very similar to a 1980s cartoon show, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Like Samson, teenage Prince Adam turns into the adult, muscular superhero He-Man by way of a magical artifact. Like Goliath, his pet tiger Cringer would also turn into the bigger, stronger and tougher Battle Cat. Both Samson & Goliath and He-Man (along with Mighty Mightor) bear similarities to an earlier property, the Fawcett Comics (later DC Comics) superhero Captain Marvel. Samson hitting bracelets on his wrists to transform himself is identical to how Rick Jones summoned the Marvel Comics version of Captain Marvel in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Villains * Monatabu and Iguanasaurus — Monatabu was an evil witch doctor whose tribe punished him for his evil deeds. He leaped into a volcano, but instead of dying, found an iguanasaurus, and gained control of it. Each year, it emerged from the volcano to attack the village. Samson and Goliath discovered the truth, and sealed the pair inside the volcano forever. * Aurora Borealis Creature — The Aurora Borealis somehow became an electrically charged monster that began attacking an Inuit village. Samson and Goliath lured it onto an ice floe, and it sank into the water. which destroyed it. * The Colossus Of Rhodes — When an archaeologist brought the Colossus of Rhodes up from the sea, lightning brought it to life, and it went on a rampage. Samson and Goliath were able to send it back to the bottom of the sea. * Venusian Ice Men — The Venusian Ice Men arrived on Earth to freeze a valley to make it habitable for their race. After defeating an ice monster, Samson and Goliath used a reflecting mirror from a telescope to deflect a freeze ray back at the villains' ship. The ship was destroyed, and the Ice Men melted. * Terrorists — A band of international terrorists stole the SSX-19, an experimental plane, and also switched Samson's bracelets with leaden ones. Goliath recovered the real bracelets, and he and Samson brought back the SSX-19 and captured the thieves. * Monarch and PERIL Agents — Monarch and the PERIL Agents kidnapped Professor Talos. Samson and Goliath rescued him, and captured the bad guys after an intense struggle. * Boltor and Natives — On Evil Island, Samson was captured by a tribe who loyally served a talking flame. He and Goliath discovered that the evil scientist Boltor had an underground electronic laboratory, and had created the talking flame as well as mechanical sharks. He had also stolen American missiles. Samson and Goliath foiled his plan to launch the missiles, but he sank the island, disappearing for good. * Zarno and The Monsteroids — Zarno The Cruel was an alien based on asteroid, from which he sent a deadly ray to Earth. Samson and Goliath were teleported to the asteroid, where they defeated Zarno and his Monsteroids. * General Tong, Ramu, and Rama-Keesh — General Tong and Ramu unleashed the robot idol Rama-Keesh upon a mountain village. The General's purpose was to drive the people away so that his troops could move across the border. He ordered Rama-Keesh to destroy Ramu, but Samson saved him. Rama-Keesh was destroyed when it fell into a fire pit, and Tong and Ramu were taken into custody. * Salamandro and Hijackers — Salamandro was a mutant catfish based in an undersea laboratory. He sent two human hijackers to loot the passing cargo ships. Samson and Goliath found their way into the lab, where they escaped from a number of death traps. Although they flooded the lab, the evil trio escaped. * Baron Von Skull and Tor — Baron Von Skull was an elderly World War 1 flying ace from Germany, who created evil war machines. Tor was his assistant. Samson and Goliath destroyed the machines, but the pair flew away, presumably into the arms of the police. * Kunev Khan and Moonleader — Kunev Khan was apparently a longtime enemy of Samson and Goliath. He stole the Graviton, and delivered it to the Moon Leader, not realizing the alien intended to double-cross him. The Moon Leader was dispatched, and Samson and Goliath flew Kunev and the Graviton back to Earth. * Dragon Men — The Dragon Men were a tribe of possible Mayan ancestry, based in an underground city. Samson and Goliath entered the city via a Mayan pyramid in order to rescue Professor Kinkaid, who'd been captured by these warriors. They were defeated when Goliath's roar broke open a dam, releasing water that swept them away, and also put out a fire that started when a dragon lizard ignited the sulfur gases. * Dr. Zuran and Rogor — Dr. Zuran was yet another mad scientists who captured Professor Cartwell, and gained control of Rogor the robot. He tranferred Samson's strength to the mechanical monster, but Goliath restored it. Zuran also tried to kill Cartwell, but Samson saved him just in time. Zuran flew away, and Cartwell fixed up Rogor, turning him into a good, useful roboot. * Darvo, Darvo's Henchman, and Coral Creature — Darvo and his assistant revived the Coral Creature, which began attacking a city in Australia. Samson and Goliath caused it to turn against its masters, destroying them and their lighthouse. The creature itself returned to the sea. * The Dome and Henchman — The Dome and his henchman plotted to launch nuclear warheads. Samson and Goliath successfully thwarted their efforts. * Nerod, Servo, Gladiators, and Giant Beasts — Nerod was an avid collector of Roman antiquities who modeled himself after Nero. He and Servo invited Samson and Goliath to fight robot gladiators and rhinos in a replica of the Coliseum. The heroes defeated tneir foes, and destroyed the mansion. * Dr. Desto — Dr. Desto was a scientist who'd been experimenting with the time dimension. He brought in a number of past threats, and pitted them against Samson and Goliath. All were defeated, and Desto himself was pulled into the past, never to return. * Narton and the Gill Men — Narton and The Gill Men emerged from the ocean floor to conquer the surface people. Samson and Goliath beat them at their own game, but Narton got away, vowing to return. * Thing From The Black Mountains — This was a reptile that was roused from a lake near the Black Mountains by a missile. Samson and Goliath fought it, and sent it back into the lake. External links * Young Samson & Goliath at the Big Cartoon DataBase * Category:Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios series and characters Category:NBC network shows Category:1960s American animated television series Category:1967 television series debuts Category:1968 television series endings Category:Superhero television programs Category:Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios superheroes Category:Saturday morning programming on NBC Category:USA Cartoon Express Category:Child superheroes Category:Fictional characters with superhuman strength Category:Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds